From the Halls of the Bear
by KohakuRiverSpirit
Summary: When the Company of Thorin Oakenshield takes shelter in the halls of Beorn, they never quite knew what to expect out of it. They certainly did not expect for the three women living with Beorn to offer them guidance through Mirkwood, and they certainly did not expect for them to continue on to Erebor, and the feelings they bring along that the dwarves don't quite understand.
1. An Unexpected Visit

Just as many of the summer days that had come before, the morning was bright and clear. A light mist hung in the valley where a large wooden home sat. From a distance this abode seemed like any other. There were quite a few smaller buildings surrounding the main hall, and these were designated for the many animal friends of the occupants of the great hall. The difference between this home and that of others only became apparent when one drew near to the dwelling. The buildings were immensely large, as if built for someone of immense stature, and this was indeed the reason, for this was the hall of Beorn.

Beorn was no ordinary man, for he was a skin-changer. At times he is a large bear, prowling about his lands in defense of both his home and those who reside within its walls. At other times he is an impressively large man, with large arms and a great beard. It is in the halls of this most unique man that this tale begins, where an ordinary day became most extraordinary.

Besides the array of animals residing in the halls of Beorn lived three women. They had lived with Beorn for many years, helping him attend to the animals and protecting the mountainous woods that surrounded their home. Though the backgrounds of these four were varied and unique, they lived in harmony, and were quite happy.

The first of the women to come unto Beorn's halls was Albany. The daughter of a widowed peasant woman, she set off on her own after her mother's death. Living off the land, she eventually wandered her way into the woods Beorn protected. Fortunately, he had been in his more reasonable form that day, that of a man. Running low on supplies and with no real place in Middle Earth to call home, Beorn offered temporary housing for the young woman. As time went on, they grew on one another, and that temporary time frame became permanent. They began to learn more and more about one another, and though Beorn may have seemed odd in the beginning, always warning Albany not to exit the hall after dark, all was good in the halls of the Bear. This was especially true after Albany discovered what Beorn truly was, for then she was free to tell him of her own nature. Albany was no ordinary woman, for she had a special ability. Not only had she lived much longer than she had anticipated given that she was of human decent, but she had abilities that she had not seen in any other life form, or at least until she had met Beorn. For just as Beorn did, Albany could shift her form into that of another. Though she was not just limited to a single animal form as her companion was, they found comfort in the fact that they were no longer as alone as they once believed themselves to be, and this only served to bring them closer.

The next to join the family of the bear were two sisters from the far north, Isolde and Ignis. They had fled the lands after dragons had all but taken and terrorized the lands. Like Albany had years before, they wandered the lands until they found the Carrock Beorn so often patrolled. That morning it had been Albany that had found them. They were young, hungry, and cold. Pitying the pair, Albany had brought them home in hopes of Beorn's approval. Things were tense at first, but once trust was established, happiness returned to the home. Though Ignis and Isolde did not harbor any hidden abilities like Beorn and Albany, they were not quite of the race of man, and therefore lived longer than that of their human counterpart, and they fit in to the group quite well. All quite capable in battle, they defended their home with their lives. Albany, Isolde, and Ignis would patrol the woods when Beorn was in his human form, and Beorn would prowl when the girls came back home. It had been Beorn that was patrolling the woods on this most extraordinary day, when thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard would stumble across their quiet lives and forever alter their futures.

* * *

"Isolde!"

Looking up from her work fixing one of the beehives, Isolde shaded her eyes from the bright sun. Upon seeing Albany gesturing for her from the door of the Hall, she made her way for the home. It was not often that one was interrupted from their work, so Isolde could gather it was something of importance. Walking into the hall, she could see Ignis, Albany, and Beorn already gathered around the long table placed in the middle of the long room. Taking a seat beside her sister, she turned to Beorn, who almost always had the answers to whatever question or problem the small family was faced with. As soon as he saw that all three women were attentive and listening, he began in his great, rumbling voice.

"While patrolling about the Carrock early this morn, it has come to my attention that there is more activity about our woods than we thought. Goblins are wandering farther into our territory than they usually do, and I even saw the tracks of the fowl wolves the goblins have been known to coerce with about a mile from the Carrock itself." At this point he looked about the group to gauge their reaction, but non seemed too surprised, as the problem had been growing over the years. "We will need to be more wary when we are out in the woods. I would suggest not wandering too near to the mountains edge, but do as you see fit."

"Why would the goblins come out so far?" Ignis asked. "They know that we protect these woods, and they have seen what can happen when they come too close to our home."

"I am not quite sure," Beorn replied. "But I do not care for whatever they are planning. Our concern is to keep our home and the lands beyond ours safe from the scum that lives within the dark tunnels of that wretched mountain ridge."

With that Beorn called for the animals to bring an early lunch out, and the animals and their human companions ate and conversed in happiness, deciding that the goblin issue would be dealt with while out on patrol and not within the cheery halls of the Bear.

Once the meal was finished, they all went about to complete the chores they had been doing before the meeting had been called. Beorn went out to chop wood for dinner that night, Isolde went back to repairing the beehives, and Ignis and Albany went about tending to the vegetable garden located off the porch of the hall. The girls did not plan on heading out on patrol until later that evening, as goblins and most things of evil prefer to move under the veil of darkness, so not one of them noticed a group come down from the mountains and through the woods towards their home. These were not goblins, or any other nasty, evil thing that had crawled out of the craggy tunnels, but a group that was quite the mixture. Though mostly comprised of dwarves, something the inhabitants the halls of Beorn had not seen for many a years, there was also a wizard and a hobbit, of which none had met. Though a group of dwarves is certainly much better than a herd of goblins, one can argue that they can bring about just as much trouble, especially this group. For this was the company of Thorin Oakenshield, and they were on quite the perilous quest to take back their homeland. It was in groups of two that the dwarves made their way to the Hall of Beorn, and it was Gandalf the Grey, a most respectable and capable wizard, and Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of utmost respect, that arrived first.

The horses were the first to see them, and they ran off to alert Beorn of the intruders. When the pair finally arrived before Beorn, they asked for assistance, for they were in quite the predicament. They had lost all of their supplies in their mad dash out of the fowl place known as Goblin Town. They offered to tell Beorn of the story of their journey, and Beorn agreed. In the way only Beorn could, he told the horses to notify each of the girls of the arrival of what could be trouble, and to get inside to their rooms and prepare themselves. He was quite protective of his little family, as the girls had become somewhat like daughters to him, and he did not want people of potential threat to know that they resided there with him.

After situating themselves upon the porch of the hall, the garden of which had been quickly vacated by Albany and Ignis, Gandalf began to weave the great tale of the perils of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield. Throughout the telling of the tale, the dwarves continued to arrive two by two, until all fifteen members of the company were accounted for. After much deliberation, Beorn determined that they were safe enough to let stay, or at least he followed up on their tale later the next day. He sent some of his animals to prepare a feast for the dwarves, and some other animals to fetch the girls from their rooms. Beorn was not quite sure what a company of dwarves arriving upon his door meant, but he was sure he was going to find out. And he was not quite sure he was going to like the answer.


	2. The Feast and Tales of Old

With everyone now sat around the dinner table, Beorn figured now was as good time as any to introduce his house-mates. After the animals had brought in all of the food for the dinner feast, he turned to the Company seated before him.

"There are three others I share my home with besides the animals I care for," Beorn began. "If ever you need anything and I am not here to assist you, feel free to ask them. They know this house and these lands as well as I do." Turning towards the direction of the bedrooms of the hall, he called for his friends. "Albany! Isolde! Ignis! We have a few visitors!"

A few moments later three sets of feet could be heard upon wooden floors. The women entered and stood at the foot of the table, near to where Ori, a dwarf of the company, and Bilbo were seated. They looked about the room in a mixture of awe and shock. It had been many a year since any of them had seen a dwarf, and they had never meet the wizard or the small man that they would later learn to be a hobbit. Pushing a lock of long raven hair behind her ear, Albany, the most light hearted of the girls, turned towards Beorn at the head of the table.

"This appears to be more than "a few visitors."" She said with a smirk upon her face. She had never seen this many visitors in the Hall before, and none as rowdy as the Company of dwarves. It was quite amusing to see her friend situated among them.

"Yes, very sorry about that," said Gandalf from Beorn's right. "We are in quite the predicament, you see. Though I am sure the dwarves will fill you in most completely, in short we lost all of our supplies to the goblins of the mountains. We are very sorry to impose."

With that all of the dwarves stood to bow low to the women, thanking them for their hospitality and accommodating them within their home.

Beorn turned to the dwarves once more. "Let me introduce them to you. This is Albany," he spoke, as Albany stepped forward and offered a kind smile to the Company. "She has been with me the longest out of any of them." When Albany stepped back, Isolde stepped forward. "This is Isolde. She and her sister came from the far North. They were forced to leave because of the dragons. Similar to your own tale in a way." Ignis was the next to step forward. "And this is Ignis. She is the younger of the sisters, but no less capable. They are all proficient fighters, and I am sure if you would be willing they would love to spar with you. They will be here most often, but they do leave to patrol the lands for a few hours a day. They will be here when I am not, however, so you must rely on them as much as you have myself. Now," From his place at the head of the table, Beorn turned to Gandalf and Thorin. "I have business I must attend to in the woods. Please continue on with your meal. You are quite safe here."

With that, he pushed up from the long table, and made to leave the dining hall. Before he left through the large front doors, he stopped beside his companions.

"Make sure they do not become too rowdy. I do not feel like cleaning up after a group with less manners than that of the animals." Beorn grumbled, low enough so that only the girls could hear. To many Beorn would have seemed quite displeased at this situation, but Albany could see the amusement hidden within his eyes, and she smiled up at him.

"No need to worry, you old bear," She joked, nudging him lightly with her arm. "I do believe we can handle whatever may occur."

"I do not doubt it." Beorn replied, offering a smile of his own in return. "I should be back at some point tomorrow. I have some...details I have to make clear. There wont be a need for you to patrol until I return. Remember to lock everything. Stay safe."

"We will. Watch your furry side out there." Ignis chimed in, smirking up at the large man.

With a final chuckle and a ruffle to Ignis' messy blond hair, he left, closing the great door behind him. Turning to the other girls, Albany began laying out a plan for the night.

"Alright. Ignis, can you make one last round around the house to make sure that all of the animals are in and the gates and shelters locked? And Isolde, can you start making up some beds? We will need..." Taking a brief moment to count the dwarves, all of which were having a merry time, she turned back to the sisters. "fifteen. Fifteen beds. You may have to get creative. I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on our guests, see if they need anything."

With that, the girls split up to complete their individual tasks. As Ignis and Isolde were out taking care of their chores, Albany made to approach the table, studying her guests as she walked. At the moment, they were very merry looking, eating and drinking to their hearts content, singing and talking with one another. Albany had not learned any of their names, but she noticed that the tall one dressed in gray, most certainly not a dwarf, and one of the actual dwarves, this one with a wild mane of dark hair streaked with silver, were quietly speaking with one another. It didn't quite look like an argument, but it seemed rather tense. Albany could not decide if she wished to discover the cause of whatever was troubling the pair or not. Approaching the table from the end where no one was sat, she decided that introducing herself personally was the best way to start off the evening. Clearing her throat to gather the attention of the company, she began.

"Welcome to the hall of the bear. My name is Albany. It's a pleasure to have you all here."

A dwarf towards the middle of the table rose to his feet. "We appreciate everything you and your companions have done already. We are at your service." With that, he gave a low bow. "My name is Balin. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine." Albany said with a smile. "It is extremely rare that we have guests. Beorn can be...quite suspicious of newcomers. But don't mind him. He appears to be rough, but he's actually a big softy."

"Yeah," Piped up a dwarf wearing a floppy hat and scarf, "All cuddles and smiles that one." He laughed, and then turned to Albany, bowing low just as Balin had. "Bofur, at your service, my lady."

Laughing at his display, she curtsied, holding up a non-existent skirt. "The pleasure is all mine, Master Dwarf."

After that, the greetings continued until Albany had spoken with almost every dwarf. Now all that were left were the tall man dressed in gray, who was most certainly not a dwarf, and the brooding, dark haired one. Making her way towards the head of the table, Albany seemed to have caught them in a lull of their conversation. The tall man looked up and gave her a smile.

"Hello my dear. Yet again I thank you for your generosity. My name is Gandalf, Gandalf the Gray. I am the wizard helping to guide this quest." As she nodded her head and introduced herself, Gandalf turned towards the dwarf at his side. "This is the leader of our Company, Thorin Oakenshield."

The dwarf inclined his head up to her from where he was seated. Though he did not offer any smile, he did not seem angry or disappointed. "I thank you for your hospitality towards my Company. We are in your debt."

"Not at all, my friend. We are happy to help those that we can. If there is anything that you ever need, please do not hesitate to ask. I would be happy to help, as would any of my friends."

Looking around, she failed to spot the last member of the Company. Turning towards Gandalf with an inquisitive look, he seemed to gather what she was planning on asking before she could speak.

"I do believe our hobbit has wandered off somewhere. I am sure he will turn up soon." Gandalf supplied.

"A hobbit?" Albany asked. "I do not believe I have ever heard of a hobbit before."

"Ah, yes, quite a curious race. They hail from the Shire. Mr. Baggins is a most respectable hobbit."

"I look forward to meeting him then." She smiled once more before her expression turned more serious. "Beorn told us that whatever has happened to you is quite similar to that of what happened to Ignis and Isolde. If I may ask, what happened? Why are you here?"

Gandalf leaned in more closely to her, lowering his gravelly voice. "You will know in due time. Once your companions have returned, I believe we can inform you then of our quest."

"We should no-" Thorin began.

"Stop right there, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf reprimanded. "Beorn and these ladies have been kind enough to take us into their home when we desperately needed it. They have given us food, drink, shelter, and a warm place to sleep. They are putting a lot on the line for us, especially considering they do not know us and the likes of what is now following us. They deserve to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. They need to know what we are up against, especially considering that they are now involved."

Thorin did not seem to like being talked down to, especially by the likes of the Wizard. He did not argue back, however he did turn away, glaring so hard in a direction anywhere but Gandalf that Albany was surprised that a hole did not appear in the wood of the walls. Looking back towards the wizard, she nodded at him, silently thanking him for his acceptance of her family and the confirmation that they would all finally know what had happened to bring them to their home.

The rest of the evening ran more smoothly. Ignis and Isolde had joined the Company back in the hall towards the end of the meal, and just as Albany had they both received warm greetings and introductions from the large group. Ignis had happened upon Bilbo while she was outside near the gardens. She had learned of his love for gardens and things, what with being a hobbit. She introduced him first to her sister, and then to Albany. The Company and the women talked and laughed, telling stories and singing songs. They found that they got along splendidly. Even Thorin seemed to warm up, tapping his feet anytime someone would break into song. The dwarves told tales that amazed the women, and vice versa. Ignis, always jumping at any opportunity to sing, had sat herself beside Bofur, as they had discovered he had quite a nice voice. After failing at finding a song they both knew, Bofur had begun teaching Ignis quite the cheery drinking song, one about a man in the moon and an inn beneath an old gray hill. Isolde found her self stuck between the pranksters of the group, Fili and Kili. She didn't seem to mind though, for every time one looked over, she could be seen laughing to something one of them had said. Albany sat near to the head of the table. Here she could listen to the tales of Balin and Gandalf. Every now and again she would turn to speak with Oin. He had a vast knowledge of potions, and she listened intently, hoping to soak up every word that he said. She had always been interested in the healing properties some potions had held, and as she knew the most out of any of the four residents of the hall, she was the designated healer. Always looking for new ways to do things or new potions or herbs to try, she asked many questions, though some had to be repeated several times before Oin was able to hear it through his ear trumpet. In that moment Albany was ever thankful for how patient she could be.

As the evening grew late, the dwarves began to settle down. An air of expectancy settled, for now was the time that Gandalf deemed fit to tell the tale of the quest to reclaim Erebor from the grievous clutches of Smaug. He began at the beginning, from the moment the dwarves first gathered themselves within the hole that was Bilbo's home, continuing on then to the brawl of the three trolls. The firelight played along the walls and faces of those in the room, all enraptured as Gandalf wove his tale of the Elves of Rivendell, the great stone giants of the thunder battle, and of the horrors of Goblin Town. He ended his tale with the battle against Azog the Defiler, and of the Great Eagles of the Mountains that had rushed to their aid. The girls listened quietly, their only reactions being those of the show of emotion when a particularly horrid detail of a battle or an act of heroism was told. By the end of the tale, they were quite speechless.

"That was quite the story, my friend," Isolde said. "I am sorry you met with so many dangers along the way. If it matters at all, I think you are all very brave. Ignis and I know of the wrath of dragons. Our home was lost to us. Unfortunately, there is nothing for us to go back to or to reclaim."

"Yes," Ignis agreed. "I think your quest to be quite valiant. In our travels from the North, we heard many a tale from many a stranger, and we heard a few of the splendors of Erebor. From what we have heard, it was a wonderful place."

"And it will be again!" Kili exclaimed, jumping up from his seat beside Fili and Isolde.

"Aye, that it will be. We will see to it." Fili agreed, receiving many shouts in agreement from around the table.

As the company quieted and Kili sat back down, Gandalf spoke once more.

"We still have to make it there," This he directed more towards the youngest members of the company. "And to do that, we must first pass through Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood?" Albany asked, concern lacing her voice. "Would it not be safer to travel around? Gandalf, an evil has settled upon that forest. It is not the same Greenwood it once was. Dangerous things lurk in there. They will attack not just your body, but your mind."

"I know of this," The Wizard responded, becoming somber. "But it is our only option if we are to make it to the Mountain in time."

Ignis shifted in her seat. "We have walked the paths of the forest before. In the past, Albany collected plants from there to make potions. We have not ventured there in quite some time. The medicinal plants have died out. The forest is very sick."

"Yes. It is a terrible fate that wood has meet with. I plan to look into this, and soon." With that, Gandalf rose to his feet. "The hour is late. It is time for us to rest. I thank you all yet again for allowing us entrance upon your home. I realize that we are not the easiest group to host."

"It is no trouble at all." Albany replied, standing from her seat and making her way around the table. "I can show you to your beds."

With that, the Company of Thorin Oakenshield headed to bed. They slept more soundly than they had since they had stayed in the Shire. The beds were soft, the room warm and pleasant from the previous fire in the hearth, and their stomachs were full. They dreamed pleasant dreams and thought not of the impending trek through the imposing forest.


End file.
